Pizzeria Replaces Contentious Nightclub on Madison Street

By JoAnne Pazderski on January 11, 2013 10:30am | Updated on January 11, 2013 10:31am

Marc Nichols, who just opened Vincenzo's Pizzeria at 1104 W. Madison St. in the West Loop, holds pictures of his grandfather, the restaurant's namesake.
View Full Caption

DNAinfo/JoAnne Pazderski

WEST LOOP — A pizza place that aims to be family friendly has opened at a spot once home to a controversial nightclub in the West Loop.

Vincenzo's Pizzeria opened last week at 1104 W. Madison St., which was formerly the location of the contentious Plush nightclub before it was closed down by the city last year.

"It's a great Italian pizzeria with a huge neighborhood feel. Very homey. We want it to be a neighborhood place that's never going to go away," said owner Marc Nichols, 27.

In other words, he hopes to attract a different crowd than Plush, which saw its share of problems before it lost its liquor license last May.

A 25-year-old man was shot and killed in front of the club in August 2010, followed by a 43-year-old man getting stabbed in the neck after getting into an argument with another man at Plush in October 2011.

Nichols was among those who attended the community meetings when concerns were raised about the club.

"I knew about the stigma with the location. It was kind of a big hurdle to climb, but we wanted to give the place such a makeover that when you look at it, you wouldn't even think that Plush used to be there," said Nichols.

Local residents said they are pleased with the change.

"We needed a pizza place. There's not really a good place around," said David Izsak, 37, who lives in the West Loop. "It's a good spot to watch games and close to the United Center."

The restaurant offers a selection of 35 craft beers and serves nontraditional pizzas such as Hawaiian, Florentine, Italian beef and margherita. The menu also includes sandwiches, salads, pasta and burgers, including the Diablo Burger with pepper jack cheese and giardiniera for $10.99.